Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dealt a devastating blow to the Democrats’ midterm hopes by publicly humiliating Eric Holder, a longtime ally of President Obama.
Following legislative approval of Governor Rick Scott’s proposed congressional plan in April of 2022, district borders were redrawn in Florida.
The revised map allocates 20 Republican seats and eight Democratic seats based on the results of the most recent census and the 2020 elections.
“We are not going to have a 200-mile gerrymander that divvies up people based on the color of their skin. That is wrong. That’s not the way we’ve governed in the state of Florida. And obviously, that will be litigated,” said DeSantis in response to the criticism of his map.
As soon as the bill was passed, a group led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder claimed that the map violated the Constitution of the State of Florida and filed a lawsuit together with several other parties.
Initially, the courts determined that the map was unconstitutional and that it needed to be redone, but the verdict was overturned by Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeals.
Holder and other organizations filed an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court right away. To Democrats’ dismay, Florida’s top court stated on June 2 that it would not hear a challenge to the appeals court’s decision.
According to The Hill,
The Florida Supreme Court declined on Thursday to hear a challenge to the new congressional map crafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and approved by the GOP-controlled state legislature.
The court’s announcement means that the map, which heavily favors Republicans, will likely remain in place for the 2022 midterm elections.
In other places, like as Illinois, the victory erases the Democrats’ gerrymandering efforts.
The Florida map, as well as a poll showing a Republican leading in the Oregon governor’s race, is a very, very encouraging indication for conservatives. I think we have a lot to look forward to in November.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore